Dino Bellagio
DINO BELLAGIO
DOYEN X SAVINGFORVEGAS
We have a very limited number of 4% shares available in Dino Bellagio
These shares are available to lease – therefore there is no capital outlay – and the training/keep fees are set at an all-inclusive £110/month. There is no minimum term, so you are not tied to a lengthy contract either.
I have recently restructured this syndicate, as we are heading in a slightly different direction to the one that we envisaged at the start of Dino’s career.
Dino Bellagio is a very talented individual – prior to his debut he had been working very well at Bankhouse Stables – the yard of his trainer Donald McCain but it still came as a bit of a surprise that he was a comfortable winner of his debut in an Ayr bumper in November 2022, as he was by no means fully wound up for that run. I remember Donald speaking to me after the race to say that he was pleasantly surprised, as Dino had only ever gone up the hill twice on a work morning, not the usual three – he was very pleased and sure that there was a lot more to come from him.
From Ayr we decided to have a crack at the Listed 4 yr old bumper in Cheltenham on New Years Day, and after some very impressive homework on the run up to the race we went there confident that we would be very much in the shake up. Sadly, it was not to be, as the saddle slipped after just 1 ½ furlongs and Peter Kavanagh was forced to kick his feet out of the irons for the rest of the race – Dino eventually finishing 10 of 14.
We were then faced with a dilemma – do we stay in bumpers or switch to hurdles. We decided to give him another run in a bumper, let Brian Hughes ride him and get an idea of where to go next. So, we headed to Doncaster in late January, where Dino, with a penalty, bolted up in what was a decent bumper. Again – this was no surprise, as his work had been very good on the run up to the race. After the race, Brain said that it had ridden like a proper race and that Dino had given him the feel of a very good horse – we should head to the Grade 2 in Aintree on Grand National Day.
It was far from plain sailing on the run up to that race, and his participation was very much in the balance up to a few days before the meeting. Eventually he was given the go ahead to run, but his stop start prep for the race led to a performance that was well below what we knew Dino could achieve.
Off he went on a summers holiday – and we were all eagerly anticipating his hurdling career the following season. Brian Hughes had put him up as his novice hurdler to follow for the season – we all felt that he could take high rank among that season’s novices – but that is where things went awry. He was pulled up on his hurdles debut – after getting a fright and hurting himself early in the race. He as given time to recover and had an extraordinary amount of schooling ahead of his next start in January where he travelled like (by far) the best horse in the race, only to stop very quickly 3 furlongs from home.
It transpired that he had suffered an injury to a hind leg in that race, which would explain why he stopped very quickly – so we headed into the autumn of 2024, still a novice over hurdles, and keen to head down the route that we had planned for him the season before – start in an ordinary little race before stepping up into Pattern company. He made his seasonal debut in Carlisle where he ran Ok to finish fourth, but this third run qualified him for a handicap mark and with his homework still of the very highest level – we thought that he would be very hard to beat on handicap debut. Again, it didn’t work out - and he was well beaten – a post-race scope showing that he was not right for that run. His next run was better, but then he took a step back near Christmas and it was once again back to the drawing board with him.
We were left scratching our heads – it is no exaggeration to say that Dino Bellagio is the best work horse in Donald McCains yard – he is very quick .His regular work rider, Charlie Maggs describes him as a ‘freak of nature’. Having won two bumpers he has shown that he is no ‘morning glory’ and the feel that Brian got off of him in his Doncaster bumper indicates that he is well capable of showing on the track what he does at home. The moment he was faced with a hurdle was the very moment that his form deserted him – so the logical step is to take the hurdles away. From Christmas, Dino has been prepared for a flat campaign this spring/summer. He still shows all of his zest at home, and Donald has changed his training regime for the last couple of months which we believe will help him.
Having shown plenty of ability in bumpers and still ‘working the house down’ at home – we are very hopeful that there will be plenty of fun to be had with him on the level. Donald always has a few to run on the flat over the summer, and he tells me in no uncertain terms that Dino’s homework is up to a level that, if transferred to the track will see him win plenty of races in that sphere.
Dino Bellagio will start off in a 1m4f maiden in mid-April and will hopefully progress up through the ranks and run in some nice races through the season. We are all looking forward to a few nice trips to Chester!
As this is a departure from the original plan – I have restructured the syndicate which has freed up a few shares which were relinquished by members that have no real interest in flat racing.
There are just FOUR 4% shares available – Free lease – No capital cost
All-Inclusive monthly training/keep fees - £110/month
One Owners Badge every time he runs.
4% of the Owners Prize Money – paid annually in December.
Email: nickbrownracing@gmail.com or call Nick on 07909 518902
